We recently chatted with one of our lovely customers & good friend of Hiro + Wolf, Renee, all about her beautiful rescue pup Brooklyn. Brooklyn, or @muttcitybitch as she is known on Instagram, was adopted from the shelter when she was just 8 weeks old! Since then, she has been on lots of adventures, welcomed new members to the family and had lots of love and affection! Renee told us more about how Brooklyn came into her life and offered up some fantastic advice for those looking to adopt their very own pup!
Did you always know you wanted to adopt a dog rather than buy one?
I hadn't thought much about adopting vs. buying before adopting Brooklyn, but after my experience and learning more about the world of rescue dogs, I will always go the adoption route! Brooklyn was living at a kill shelter, and it's hard to imagine what her fate could have been had we not adopted her. There are SO many pets for adoption that need loving homes, and are equally as wonderful and deserving of a home as a purchased pet. And as an added bonus, Brooklyn was only $25!
How did you find Brooklyn and did you know she was the dog for you straight away?
I walked into adopting Brooklyn with no real plans of adopting a dog that day! I had never owned a dog before, and was casually browsing online and saw a local shelter that had "Puppy Saturday's" every couple of weeks. My friend and I wanted to go play with the pups, and saw a photo of Brooklyn and her two siblings there so we decided to go take a look. When we arrived, it wasn't actually a puppy Saturday, and there was no adoption event being held, but we were allowed to come look around anyways. Brooklyn and her two sisters were named "Marley's Angels" (their mom was Marley) and were inside in a pretty small and dingy little enclosure. Their mom was kept outside. I was drawn to BK immediately. She was so tiny and yet so chunky! I knew right then that she was the dog for me, but had told my husband (then boyfriend) I wouldn't come home that day with a puppy. I put her "on hold" that day, then immediately went to the pet store and bought all the necessary puppy supplies. Two days later, I went back to officially adopt her.
Renee, her husband and Brooklyn. Brooklyn wears our Blue Inca Dog Collar.
Do you know much about Brooklyn's past / how she ended up in a shelter?
Brooklyn was born in the kill shelter we adopted her from, so she lived there her whole life (which was only 8 weeks before she came to live with us!). Her mom and two siblings also lived at the shelter.
Can you tell us a little bit about Brooklyn's personality / her favourite things etc?
Brooklyn is a huge sweetheart. She is so loving and affectionate, and protective over her people. She is also quite mouthy and has a larger than life attitude. She loves to be dressed in clothing (those years living in NYC rubbed off on her for life!), and loves long walks and adventures. Her other hobbies include sitting under her human brother's high chair during every meal waiting for scraps, sunbathing, and posing for the camera.
Do you have any advice for someone thinking about rescuing a dog in the future?
Do it! But really, if you are ready for a dog (financially, with the space and availability for a pup and plenty of love to give), I will always advocate for rescue dogs. Adoption is such a wonderful way to find a forever family member. Also, there are some great foster-to-rescue programs these days to find the perfect dog for everyone's individual situation.
Brooklyn wearing our Blue Inca Dog Collar.
What is your favourite thing about Brooklyn?
Her big personality! She is almost like a person. She has very strong opinions of things, and makes those opinions known. For example, it took her a year to even acknowledge our new baby even existed. She is also very in-tune with our emotions and knows when something is off or different. She has followed me around and not let me out of her sight both times I've been pregnant! Brooklyn is a very empathetic pup.
What was the most challenging part of adopting a dog?
The process of the adoption itself was quite quick and easy, but what came after was the most challenging for us! The shelter we adopted BK from just had us fill out a form and pay the adoption fee and Brooklyn was ours. My husband (then boyfriend) and I were college students who didn't have much responsibility in our lives, so getting used to dog-parent life was an adjustment. BK came to us with fleas and worms, so we had a few weeks of challenges surrounding that. She also had some behavioral challenges as most pups do, notably ripping up the majority of my apartment carpet, eating hundreds of dollars of sneakers, digging a hole through both my mattress and box spring, and learning how to let herself out of her crate. But the good forever outweighed the bad!
Brooklyn wears our Nebula Dog Bandana.
Can you sum up the journey of dog adoption in 5 words for us?
Simple, Quick, Joyous, Love-at-first-sight, Life-changing
Are there any rescues you'd like to shout out?
Our favorite friends in the DC area just adopted an amazing pup from @wolftrapanimalrescue!
Thank you so much to Renee for taking the time to chat with us! You can follow Brooklyn on Instagram here and follow along with all of her adventures. If you would like further advice on adopting a pet of your own, the RSPCA have a brilliant guide available online.